The project scope was to design a Bath House occupying the upper two floors of the Van Zandt, a 16 story boutique hotel in the center of Austin, Texas.

The design process commenced with a material research exercise focused on Amanda Levete’s Super-Surfaces Showroom use of Corian. Corian and its ability to be thermoformed allowed different forms such as bends, twists, and surface texture.

The initial study led to the final design for the spa. The design concept tries to capture the unique weightless experience of being submerged in water. The three main components – the suspended Corian conforming the rooms, the elevated paths, and the water – work together to provide a buoyant sensation, and thus a weight-lifting sensation of deep relaxation. The spa treatments added to the presence of water, combined with the effects of suspension in space, provide guests an experience of physical and mental relief.